Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to support the development of tech clusters for specialist universities.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK tech ecosystem achieved a record combined market valuation of $1.08 trillion in 2023. Supporting its continued development across the UK is a priority for my department, and vital to this government’s mission to kickstart economic growth.
As set out in the industrial strategy consultation, the UK has world-leading innovation and tech clusters across the country. This includes aviation technology around Cranfield, with Cranfield University acting as a magnet for talent and investment and anchor institution for its local innovation ecosystem.
Through the industrial strategy, we will explore how best to continue supporting high-potential clusters across the UK through R&D investment.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the role of Bedfordshire in the UK’s military supply chain.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The East of England plays an important role in defending the UK from growing threats and Defence's contribution to the economy, with approximately £1.4 billion of Ministry of Defence (MOD) spend in the region in 2022-23. Bedfordshire in particular is home to a number of our strategic suppliers and a variety of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises working in defence, underlining the importance of the county in the Defence supply chain.
Mid Bedfordshire also hosts the prestigious DVD (Defence Vehicle Demonstration) Event, providing opportunities for industry and key MOD stakeholders to develop next-generation capabilities to meet the requirements of a modern, lethal army.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of future opportunities to grow the tourism industry in Bedfordshire.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Tourism is a significant driver of economic growth and employment and the government is committed to growing this sector and enabling more inbound and domestic visitors to experience the full diversity of the UK tourism sector across the country. Bedfordshire boasts attractions such as The Panacea Museum, and welcomes 273,000 visits with a spend of £108 million according to the latest estimates. The Government is committed to ensuring that it remains attractive to inbound and domestic visitors across its towns and rural areas.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make it his policy to ringfence Project Gigabit funding for rural areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No. Project Gigabit is designed to subsidise the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans.
These premises will predominantly be in rural areas, but the evidence from our regular engagement with the market indicates that we will also need to intervene in some urban areas in order to achieve the target of full gigabit coverage by 2030.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the condition of Bedford Hospital.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare services requires safe, resilient, and effective infrastructure.
As part of the management of their estate, NHS trusts regularly assess the physical condition of their estate. The Estates Related Information Collection survey collects data from trusts on the quality of their estate annually, including the projected cost of bringing all the buildings on each NHS site into acceptable condition, recorded as backlog maintenance. The latest data on backlog maintenance is available at the following link: